Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,235 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Chihuahua

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Chihuahua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,235 in Chihuahua.

Austin, TX $2,704
Chihuahua $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,838 in Chihuahua.

Austin, TX $4,133
Chihuahua $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,441 in Chihuahua.

Austin, TX $5,562
Chihuahua $2,441

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 119% more expensive than in Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Chihuahua is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.89 MX$200

85.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$33.13 MX$608

156.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.03 MX$202

11.97%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.43 MX$44.60

125.10%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.23 MX$22.55

210.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.76 MX$13.90

228.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.42 MX$44.37

233.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.12 MX$75.6

118.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.65 MX$30.23

-31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.27 MX$60.0

15.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.13 MX$39.08

52.58%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.58 MX$47.33

60.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.32 MX$171

40.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$6.99 MX$128

104.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.49 MX$229

27.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.53 MX$46.42

73.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.63 MX$29.85

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.05 MX$37.63

121.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.90 MX$53.3

44.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.42 MX$44.47

8.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.65 MX$48.64

-10.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.35 MX$24.85

30.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.16 MX$21.33

86.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.51 MX$82.8

117.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.53 MX$193

39.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.48 MX$27.09

87.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.90 MX$53.3

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.57 MX$10.48

161.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$33.79 MX$620

19.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.72 MX$50.0

-1.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.79 MX$14.42

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$10.03 MX$184

251.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.51 MX$27.69

-34.44%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.3K MX$391.7K

67.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.2K MX$444.2K

12.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$83.2 MX$1,527

163.64%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$21.01 MX$386

176.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$24.02 MX$441

184.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$28.14 MX$517

105.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.89 MX$89.7

188.96%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$269 MX$4,939

460.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,353 MX$61.6K

540.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$48.73 MX$895

6.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$25.25 MX$464

74.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$103 MX$1,893

-17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$90.3 MX$1,657

16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$605 MX$11.1K

219.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$463 MX$8,506

174.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,119 MX$20.6K

227.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$718 MX$13.2K

251.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,385 MX$62.1K

125.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,112 MX$20.4K

187.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$863 MX$15.8K

491.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.84

-37.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Chihuahua

$463 37.1% 63.6% $809

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Chihuahua

$280 22.4% 30.6% $123

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Chihuahua

$178 14.2% 49% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Chihuahua

$128 10.3% 62.9% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Chihuahua

$120 9.6% 6.6% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Chihuahua

$38 3% 56% $48

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Chihuahua

$43 3.4% 25% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $605 in Chihuahua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 492% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $33.00 in Chihuahua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $280 per month, with Chihuahua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

925,762

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Chihuahua 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Chihuahua

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chihuahua wins on cost – living expenses run 119% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chihuahua the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 492% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $605 in Chihuahua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,235 in Chihuahua – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chihuahua runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,235 in Chihuahua versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chihuahua but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chihuahua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chihuahua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.